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Opinion: Guest Opinions

Screaming at the border

By Angie Layton

Posted:
08/16/2014 01:00:00 AM MDT

Do unto others as you would like them to do to you is a pretty standard teaching of most major religions. And so when I see pictures of angry women screaming at young refugee children fleeing violence in their own country and hoping for a better life in America, I wonder where does their hatred come from?

Clearly not from Christian teachings. Jesus was pretty clear that we should love our neighbors (that would include children fleeing violence in Latin and South America) as ourselves. When they are naked, we should clothe them, when they are hungry we should feed them.

Paul's letter to the Ephesians clearly states "we are no more strangers or foreigners but fellow citizens" and there are numerous other writings in the Bible urging us to live as one people. As most Americans apparently claim to follow some sort of Christian teaching, but a majority appears to favor refusing any of the children now seeking asylum in our country even the modicum of due process of a hearing, I question whether they have read the same Bible that I have.

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Every single person who lives in America who isn't part of the First Nations was a stranger, foreigner, slave or immigrant and came to this country at some time in the last 400 years. Because we now have this incredible privilege of living in America, why is it that the majority of our citizens so eager to refuse to allow young children from other countries who are asking for only "the crumbs from our table" to seek asylum here? Haven't we got a gigantic monument to our generosity sitting in New York Harbor called the Statue of Liberty with the words "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

It isn't President Obama who has "welcomed" these immigrants. It was a fundamental principle of America. If you are one of the screaming people, I urge you to reevaluate your position. Our country should never be refusing to provide succor to those who are seeking protection and freedom. We should be welcoming those immigrants as individuals who are so motivated to reach our country that they are willing to take terrible risks, brave any kind of danger just to be here as a part of our society. They are people who are going to work hard, go to school, pay taxes and be contributing members of our society, but they can only do that if we let them.

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